Slashdot Mirror


Sci-fi Channel's Children of Dune

jazdogg writes "Caught the trailer last night on the Sci-fi Channel for the new Frank Herbert's Children of Dune mini-series. I only hope this series is better than the previous one." I dunno - I liked the last Dune series, and am looking forward to this one.

223 of 335 comments (clear)

  1. Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Would anyone else besides me like to see Sci Fi channel concentrate more on adapting SF literature than on recent bad horror films?

    1. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by minektur · · Score: 5, Insightful
      I agree, though focusing on _good_ SF would be even better. I am not sure that 'Children of Dune' would qualify.

      I have almost stopped watching Sci Fi due to the constant barrage of bad horror flicks.

    2. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by Brave+New+Shill · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Here's one: The Forever War.

      From Joe Haldeman's website:

      http://home.earthlink.net/~haldeman/newnews.html

      and IMDB:

      http://us.imdb.com/Title?0315007

    3. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by Flamerule · · Score: 1
      ? I'm sorry, but I'm utter confused by your comment. When was Children of Dune a horror film?
      Grandparent was referring to Children of Dune when he said "literature". What he meant by "horror film" was the total dreck SciFi is putting on the air now, in a sick strategy to corner the ... uh, exactly-like-TNT/TBS/USA-channel market.
    4. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by B3ryllium · · Score: 1

      Specifically, I believe he meant TREMORS: THE SERIES. Although, granted, the word "dreck" does instantly bring that to mind.

    5. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by adashiel · · Score: 2, Interesting

      It would be nice. A few years ago I even thought it was possible. I heard the Sci-Fi Channel obtained the rights for Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy and had high hopes for a mini-series. Now, though? We've got John Edward, the Dream Team, Scare Tactics, movies so awful they don't even have camp value, and, oh yeah, no Farscape. I shudder to think what an adaptation would be like.

      I do have higher expectations for Children of Dune, though. I think the project was conceived prior to the current regime at Sci-Fi, so I'm hoping it has potential.

      --
      Sanity is relative. For some of us it's just a distant cousin.
    6. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by ronnyquest · · Score: 1

      Absolutely! Good Sc-Fi is hard to find these days.

    7. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      'Children of Dune' is a fascinating book. The whole Dune universe is a very interesting place. Implausible, of course, but the idea of mentats, of kanly, of renaissance-era intrigues carried out with mystical technology is just downright cool. All three of the original Dune books are unique and compelling sci-fi.

    8. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by tchapin · · Score: 1

      That's totally cool. Hope it's good.

      Speaking of movies on SciFi lately, anyone see _Velocity Trap_? Total Crap.

      Todd

      --
      -- !todd erases a red dot! I steal music on the internet.
    9. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by bkhl · · Score: 1

      I can't see why you couldn't make a good movie from a bad book. I mean, just look at Starship Troopers.

    10. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by poboxbrian · · Score: 1

      I completely agree. I haven't seen the trailer for this Dune, but I loved the books and I enjoyed the last Dune series 10 times more than the movie version. On the other hand, horror movies require that one watches them w/ a lot of people and that is not usually the case when your at home relaxing.

    11. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by Wiseazz · · Score: 1, Funny

      Man, the whole Dune series is awesome... I guess I should respect your views. But that's hard to do when they're so wrong and stupid!

      Sorry - I couldn't let ya get away with that one.

      Flame on.

      --
      My sig sucks.
    12. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by delus10n0 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Naw, SciFi Channel is too busy cancelling excellent shows like Farscape, considering cancelling Stargate SG-1, and making wonderful films like Antibody...

      Ok, so "Taken" wasn't that bad, but it wasn't really a SciFi Channel-only endeavor.

      --
      Not All Who Wander Are Lost
    13. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by Ponty · · Score: 1

      That and reinvesting in B5. Maybe funding Crusade of Legend of the Rangers. But that's just me.

    14. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by ediron2 · · Score: 1
      I agree, though focusing on _good_ SF would be even better. I am not sure that 'Children of Dune' would qualify.
      I used to read a lot of SF, and a hefty amount of SF commentary (reviews, interviews, commentary interspersed in anthologies, etc). From this, for years I was vaguely aware that a lot of SF authors hated the term 'sci-fi', preferring SF. But I didn't grasp why.

      So, while I agree that the Sci-Fi channel is a horrible, ugly, bastard child of 50's-era, drive-in, bad-movie, goober-slobbering stupid stuff riddled with off-topic nonscience/nonsense, laserguns and rubber-suit aliens, too stupid to parody itself and show MST3K or 'Plan 9 from Outer Space', the SciFi channel did do one helpful thing:

      They made it clear to me what it is that all those SF authors so feared and despised about the term, 'sci-fi'. The only channel I cringe more about is 'Lifetime'. My wife watches both of them just enough that I sometimes worry about her.

      Meanwhile, I keep hoping that someone would take the best SF, plus some good shows off TechTV, use the product lines from ThinkGeek for advertising and throw in stuff like Futurama, Farscape, Babylon, and old Trek for filler, older stuff (Buck Rogers serials, twilight zone) for a humorous/heartwarming look back and stuff like MST3K and Plan 9 for farce/camp value.

    15. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by minektur · · Score: 1
      I wont flame you for having a difference of opinion. I do understand that different people like different things. I can't say I understand your views, but since this disagreement is over something as silly as book preferences, well, who cares.

      I liked the first book and got bored/annoyed by the others.

    16. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by RevAaron · · Score: 1

      Well, Dune was incredible. And (at least IMO) the House prelude books are pretty great too. The Legends series is looking like it'll be interesting too, the Butlerian Jihad does have me wondering.

      But I've also read Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, and God Emperor of Dune as well as the begining of Heretics of Dune. They've gotten worse and worse each book, but I would love to know if they got better for one of the last books. Would there be a reward for me to keep on reading if I thought God Emperor made it seem like Frank started drinking heavily before writing outlines? I am fascinated by the Dune universe, but I couldn't bring myself to keep wasting my time with the original Dune novels.

      --

      Working toward a usable PDA environment in the spirit of Newton OS: Dynapad
    17. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by RStar23 · · Score: 1

      " Would anyone else besides me like to see Sci Fi channel concentrate more on adapting SF literature than on recent bad horror films?" Damned straight. Bad horror flicks, stupid shows about analyzing dreams, Casper the Ghost movie ... the list is always growing. If there is a market for horror movies then why not run them on a Horror Channel? Then focus SciFi on SciFi content including some decent anime.

    18. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by Nept · · Score: 1

      I wish they would make a mini-series of I. Asimov's Foundation Trilogy.
      Or perhaps televise the script based on I, Robot that Robert Heinlen wrote.
      More Asimov Now!

      --
      "Teachers leave us kids alone ..." - Roger Waters, Pink Floyd
    19. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The books in the middle of the series (i.e., Children of Dune and God Emperor of Dune) are, IMHO, pretty weak compared to the rest. I definitely think you should read the last two books, they're _much_ more interesting, and I think others who have read all the Dune books will agree.

    20. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by shityshit · · Score: 1

      The Foundation Trilogy is based on the idea of Psychohistory. It would be very hard to transfer an idea to the screen. Yet if any attempt would be made I would love to see. Asimov will not be forgotten. So we will just have to wait atleast till all the Dune series are over.

    21. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by RevAaron · · Score: 1

      Ok, then I'll continue to press forward. I can't say i thought CoD or GEoD were great, per se, but at least the first sixth or so of HoD just seemed nasty.

      --

      Working toward a usable PDA environment in the spirit of Newton OS: Dynapad
    22. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by Alex+Thorpe · · Score: 1

      "Meanwhile, I keep hoping that someone would take the best SF, plus some good shows off TechTV, use the product lines from ThinkGeek for advertising and throw in stuff like Futurama, Farscape, Babylon, and old Trek for filler, older stuff (Buck Rogers serials, twilight zone) for a humorous/heartwarming look back and stuff like MST3K and Plan 9 for farce/camp value."

      Sounds great, like something that even I would watch. Though it would help if I didn't need cable to get it; I'm too broke, and cable doesn't have enough quality shows, for me to get it at home.

      --
      "Common Sense Ain't" -Unknown
    23. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by noewun · · Score: 2, Informative
      Three?

      Six.

      --
      I am a believer of momentum and curves.
    24. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by xylon · · Score: 1

      Four good. Two bad. I really, really enjoyed God Emperor of Dune. Perhaps my second favourite. The last two... well, Frank Herbert was content to churn out Dune books, I suppose, as long as he was getting paid.

    25. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by ShaiHulud-23 · · Score: 1
    26. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by B3ryllium · · Score: 1

      I'm Canadian. I pity the Americans too. I want Firefly back ... stupid FOX network ...

    27. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by Enahs · · Score: 1
      of kanly,

      I suppose next you'll say that Jews are a Frank Herbert myth too. :-P

      --
      Stating on Slashdot that I like cheese since 1997.
    28. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by cheese_wallet · · Score: 1

      I thought chapterhouse dune was pretty good. But GEoD was my favorite, so my opinion may not count for much with you.

    29. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by drive · · Score: 1

      after watching the preview it seems that they are not skipping Dune Messiah, just putting the two together. it shows the bomb go off (where Paul is blinded) and the childrens as infants. later it shows Leto and a young adult in the desert and Paul has lost his sight. so unless i don't remember the books so well, this is both, right?

    30. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by drive · · Score: 1

      i apologize for the amount of typos in that. i assume most can figure out what i meant to say.

      Leto and a young adult
      Leto as a young adult

      etc

    31. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by bozojoe · · Score: 1

      You mean you dont like all those Stephen King TV movies SCi-Fi keeps cranking out?

      One begins to think King is going too morph into the next Leonard Nimoy

      .

      --
      lick the cancle button (at least thats what our Chinese QA says)
    32. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by Lt+Razak · · Score: 1

      Which is why the movie, Starship Troopers, is the best movie of all time

    33. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by Lt+Razak · · Score: 1
      Throw in some late night Dr. Who and Blake's Seven, and we're set.

      They could truly fill up the whole day and night with one show a day of: Highlander series, The Prisoner, Forever Knight, etc, etc, just by taking out the reruns of the 3 tremor movies.

    34. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by RevAaron · · Score: 1

      GEoD wasn't horrible, it just didn't have for me what the original Dune (and the Brian + Kevin books do) had. Lacks the same vibe. What I enjoy about the Dune series is all the political intrigue as well as the interesting use of technology, many storylines. GEoD seemed so flat after Dune.

      --

      Working toward a usable PDA environment in the spirit of Newton OS: Dynapad
    35. Re:Sci Fi channel doing more literature? by bkhl · · Score: 1

      Thank you. That was exactly my point.

  2. It could be good. by amentia · · Score: 1

    I think it's exciting. IMHO nothing has yet quite captured the feeling of the book.

  3. Last Dune Series by txdadu · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The last Dune Series was great... sure if you had watched the Lynch movie it wasn't the same, but Paul Atreides was cast better in the series than in the movie and all in all the casting was better.

    I'm looking forward to seeing this must convince the housemates to TiVo it...

    1. Re:Last Dune Series by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

      I'm sorry, but as far as I can remember (I thought the miniseries was boring as hell and stopped watching as soon as I saw a worm...gotta see the worms), the guy they cast as Duncan Idaho in the miniseries was an average looking brown-haired dude, whereas Duncan is supposed to be a blond-haired pretty boy (And although we only see him for about 2 seconds in the movie, he did fit the description).

      --

      You can't take the sky from me...

    2. Re:Last Dune Series by JWW · · Score: 1

      I don't know, I wouldn't say the casting was better.

      The script, however, was way better for the miniseries.

    3. Re:Last Dune Series by mike77 · · Score: 2, Informative

      I purchased the last dune series on dvd, as I wasn't able to catch it on tv. I've read the books, and watched the lynch film, and I have to say I thought the SciFi series was atrocious! I refuse to watch the dvd again. The story itself (ie the adaptation) wasn't bad, but the quality of the show itself was terrible. I mean how many times are you going to use the same set backdrop? I don't know, troll me if you must, but I HOPE SciFi does a better job (ie spend more on it) this time around.

      --

      --Keeping the flame wars alive, one post at a time

    4. Re:Last Dune Series by jazdogg · · Score: 1

      I should have taken my statement further, when I said I didn't like the first series. I watched the first series and was B-O-R-E-D! I loved the book and I'm glad they tried to follow the book as closely as possible, but the acting was awful as well as the quality of special effects. One clearly awful moment was when Paul had to ride a sandworm for the first time. Paul never had to climb up the worm. The worm turned it's body as far away from the sand because of the hooks! While David Lynch's movie did not cover book as well, the production quality was so much better and that was a 1984 movie!

    5. Re:Last Dune Series by RhetoricalQuestion · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I agree. I liked the last Dune mini-series, but primarily because the adaptation was more faithful and the writing itself was better. Paul was better cast (and a better actor). Leto wasn't as well cast; he didn't seem as regal as he did in the movie. I don't recall having a strong opinion on the other cast. (Though I missed seeing Patrick Stewart.)

      The portrayal of the Harkonnens was also FAR better. In the mini-series, they cunning, conniving and evil. In the movie, they were just gross.

      Biggest problem in the mini-series, though, were the visuals. The sets (particularly the desert) looked fake. The costuming looked cheap -- especially compared to the movie, which had great costumes.

      Still, looking forward to this... when/if it comes on Space.

      --

      I can spell. I just can't type.

    6. Re:Last Dune Series by StormRider01 · · Score: 1

      The thing that bugged me the most in the miniseries was the eyes. The intensity of the blue kept changing as they moved around the set. Guess they couldn't get big enough black lights or whatever they used.

    7. Re:Last Dune Series by andrew_0812 · · Score: 1

      I thought the series was far and away better than the old Dune movie. It brought new depth to the story. Of course, it didn't have Patrick Stewert in it, but it was still better.

    8. Re:Last Dune Series by Justarius · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Give the guys some credit,eh? The SciFi channel isn't a move production studio nor does it make the millions that Universal or whatever makes. They're at least making an effort to actually adapt decent SciFi for mass consumption.
      How many people do you know has *even* read Dune or, for that matter, Children of Dune? I've read both of them, watched both versions of Dune, and each has their strengths and weaknesses.
      If we're going to nitpick, I'll say this :: the casting on the SciFi miniseries was much better done and the dialogue was much better. It did miss some of the scenes that are in the book and adapted others (for example, the hunter-seeker scene in Arrakeen). The Lynch version I think touched upon the mystic of the entire thing much better than the SciFi, but the SciFi version made a better emphasis on the political nature of it all.
      Neither are true to the book anyway.

      Hopefully, Children of Dune (which is the destruction of Paul's dream and Aila's nightmare) will be done in the same spirit and I can understand the pitfalls of smaller studios - at the end, it's how much money do you have to burn for the production?

      Cheers...

    9. Re:Last Dune Series by Tseran · · Score: 1

      I agree, Paul was cast better. The spice was portrayed better, the story was followed more closely to the book. However, Patrick Stewart made a better Gurney Halleck, Sting was the perfect Feyd-Ruatha. In all, the Lynch version has mostly better actor choices, but didn't follow well. I absolutely hated the "Weirding Modules" thing. I am anxious to see how good they do with this one.

      --
      .sig: It's what's for dinner.
    10. Re:Last Dune Series by batlock · · Score: 1
      whereas Duncan is supposed to be a blond-haired pretty boy


      Wrong! From Dune: "Nearby, more an outflanker than a member of the group, stood Duncan Idaho in
      glittering dress uniform, flat face unreadable, the curling black hair neatly
      combed."

      --

      Batlock...

    11. Re:Last Dune Series by LudditeMind · · Score: 1

      Yeah, but what about stilgar? He was fat for gods sake! I'm not against overwheight people, but fremen are nothing if not skinny. It has to do with the whole living in the desert without water thing. Granted the new casting (like the children) looks good for this one. We'll have to see whether they can act or not.

    12. Re:Last Dune Series by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

      It brought new depth to the story.

      By being many hours longer...

      --

      You can't take the sky from me...

    13. Re:Last Dune Series by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

      Bah, don't wanna get in a quoting war, but I remember vaguely from God Emepror a bit about how his fave clon...er...Golah being blond.
      But its been a while.

      Hell, its not like Herbert was above a lil' detail changing once in a while ;- )

      --

      You can't take the sky from me...

    14. Re:Last Dune Series by heptapod · · Score: 1

      Do not forget that it's always been mentioned in the Dune novels that Duncan Idaho has epicanthic folds in addition to having black hair and a taste for General Tso's cat.

    15. Re:Last Dune Series by Macgruder · · Score: 1

      The mini-series looked more like a stage production. Being shot on a closed set with blue-screened and CGI backgrounds processed in aferwards only further added to the feeling.

      The movie, being shot on location, had an entirely different feeling. Grander, broader.

      The casting for the mini-series was ok, but forgettable; to this day when I reread the books, I envison Lynch's cast, they were right on. Not just in appearence, but in feeling and attitude.

      The worst thing I can say about the movie is that "it was too short", and "were the hell did the weirding modules come from?"

      The mini series added some depth and detail to the mythos, and overall was entertaining to watch once.

      The movie was very entertaining to experience over and over again. Sure, it could have been better, but it was very good on it's own. Not to mention the author of the book himself, Frank Herbert, was estatic over the movie. Hey, if he's happy about it, why the hell even bother to dis it?

      --
      I'm not crazy,I'm actively irresponsible.
    16. Re:Last Dune Series by zrk · · Score: 1

      I preferred Kyle MacLachlan as Paul, but otherwise I agree with your assessment. I still chuckle because the role of Alia went to Alicia Witt

      The guy who played Gurney in the SciFi adaptation played the role like a drunken oaf. Patrick Stewart was worlds better in the role.

      I got really bored with Children of Dune, and I gave up on it about 100 pages in. I lost interest in reading the rest.

      I'm also waiting for the Prequel Book House Pancakes (from the book of Doon, by the Harvard Lampoon).

    17. Re:Last Dune Series by Conspir8or · · Score: 1

      fremen are nothing if not skinny. It has to do with the whole living in the desert without water thing

      THANK you. At numerous points during the show when Fremen were depicted, I would see something that made me want to yell, "Water discipline, people!!" Half of them looked like they had just bankrupted several lemonade stands.

    18. Re:Last Dune Series by Ellen+Ripley · · Score: 1

      Paul was better cast (and a better actor).

      "Dude! What's mine say?"

      "Sweet! What's mine say?"

  4. dune by psyklopz · · Score: 4, Interesting

    dune was only really inspired in the first novel.

    beyond that, it got tired. Herbert even has selective memory of some things... in the first novel, Paul had a son he named Leto, but his son was killed.

    Afterwards, when they have the twins (children of dune), they carry on as if that first child never existed (one of the twins is even named Leto).

    It seems to me that the original Dune novel was intended to stand on it's own. Herbert gave into the pressure of his publishers and screwed up an otherwise perfect and mysterious universe by putting out a series of weirder and weirder sequels.

    1. Re:dune by jjohnson · · Score: 5, Informative

      Actually, Herbert had sketched out a seven volume story covering 10,000 years; parts of Dune Messiah and Children of Dune were written before Dune was finished. And the second of Paul's children named Leto was consciously named that because Paul wanted a son named after his father.

      Herbert got through six of the seven. His son has the notes for the seventh, and is preparing to butcher his father's legacy as he's done six times already with those godawful prequel books.

      --
      Anyone who loves or hates any language, platform, or manufacturer, doesn't know what they're talking about.
    2. Re:dune by Xaleth+Nuada · · Score: 1

      Afterwards, when they have the twins (children of dune), they carry on as if that first child never existed (one of the twins is even named Leto).

      That would be why the twin is named Leto II.

      --

      I read Slashdot for the .sigs
    3. Re:dune by stg · · Score: 1

      I've been re-reading these books and I have to agree... Dune is much better than the sequels.

      However, the "prequels" to Dune written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson are *great*. The Butlerian Jihad, in particular, was excellent. The "Houses" series were very good, too (Dune: House Atreides and Dune: House Harkonnen and Dune: House Corrino).

    4. Re:dune by psyklopz · · Score: 1

      the first child was also named Leto II, after Paul's father.

      So shouldn't the twin be named Leto III?

    5. Re:dune by plover · · Score: 3, Insightful
      I think the second novel was a decent followup to Dune, but it's also where Herbert started to get more wrapped up in the political / religious issues.

      After the second book, even the bogus political / religious issues took on a tiresome sameness, rather like the plotions manufactured for each episode of Star Trek. I found them frustrating. He hinted at all these worlds, each of which could easily have been as interesting as Arrakis (I wanted to see a book set on Salusa Secundis) but they all focused around the lame Bene Gesserits.

      I hope the SciFi channel has enough sense to stop filming sequels after this book.

      --
      John
    6. Re:dune by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      Actually, Dune was initially conceived as trilogy. The first book sets up Paul as the perfect Messianic hero. The following two books tear down this hero and point out the perils of the hero myth with is so prevelant in our religions and culture. An excellent yet lenghty analysis written by Tim Oreilly can be found here: http://tim.oreilly.com/sci-fi/herbert/

    7. Re:dune by Universal+Nerd · · Score: 1

      Actually, the second Leto was Leto II, later known as the Tyrant Leto.

      --
      Ash nazg durbatuluk, ash nazg gimbatul Ash nazg thrakatuluk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul
    8. Re:dune by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      what were you expecting them to spend every day of the rest of their lives mourning their lost son? after the death of their first son leto, paul reassures chani that they will have more children. naming both the first and second son leto is not a coincidence but rather another display of paul's affection for his father and desire to have a son with his name.

    9. Re:dune by Twirlip+of+the+Mists · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I've read this before-- the thing about how Frank Herbert had plans for a book 7-- but it seems to me that the ending of Chapterhouse is just too perfect. I prefer the saga the way it is now, ending on a cliffhanger and with that little commentary by Marty and Daniel, who many people think represented Bev and Frank Herbert talking out of character about the story itself.

      It seems to fit, for me, with the interwoven theme of prescience. Paul was cursed by his prescience, and Leto's vision of the future was of humans who were immune to prescience. The end of Chapterhouse, in which Duncan and Sheeana fleeing the known universe in a no-ship, seems to symbolize Herbert's creation escaping beyond the limits of his own vision.

      But what the hell do I know, anyway?

      --

      I write in my journal
    10. Re:dune by The+Bungi · · Score: 4, Interesting
      I agree to a certain extent but I think that there were too many unanswered questions. For example, the background of the Honored Matres. Herbert drops precious few hints about them (the "frame bush" thing; the "weapon and charge" thing; who were the futars and why were there so few "handlers"?). Also, he suggests that Marty and Daniel (which I think were a play on his deeply cynical view of religions) are face dancers. What does that mean as far as the dynamics between the Tleilaxu and the Bene Gesserit? Why was it Idaho the only one that could see them? Did it have anything to do with his ghola condition? The only remaining Tleilaxu master had that nullentropy bin in his chest with cells from just about everyone... the implications! Also, why Sheanna as the "chosen" one specifically? I always thought it interesting that it was her and not Murbella (why stay and save the sisterhood?)

      I wish he'd had time to write another 6 books!

      Anyway, I could go on and on... =)

    11. Re:dune by Erioll · · Score: 1

      Actually It's even more complacated than this in the naming scheme. It's mentioned in Heretics of Dune where the priests are arguing that the God Emperor should be Leto the 3rd, since Maud'dib's father was Leto I, his first son that was killed by the infant was Leto II, and the God Emperor Leto III, but there was also a discussion about how II and III are really the same person because II died to open the way of heaven (or something like that) for the God Emperor.

      Whatever. Herbert didn't forget it, and specifically addressed it. Whatever interpretation you go by, later on, Leto II referred to the God Emperor in almost all cases.

      Erioll

    12. Re:dune by sdjunky · · Score: 3, Insightful

      "but it seems to me that the ending of Chapterhouse is just too perfect"

      Actually. If you look at when the man died (1986) not long after finishing chapterhouse and before it's publishing (July 1986) you can kind of tell that he knew he wouldn't be writing another book as he was finishing the sixth and just kind of tied things up quickly so as to not leave anything open ended.

      I get the impression that he just kind of gave up on living or at the very least knew he didn't have much time. Chapterhouse near the end starts to seem that it is being rushed. Not as much lush detail in his words as in the beginning etc. Of course, this is my opinion and there are a million of 'em.

    13. Re:dune by levik · · Score: 1

      Is the analysys "excellent yet lengthy" or "lengthy yet excellent"? There is a big difference :)

      --
      Ñ'
    14. Re:dune by JahToasted · · Score: 1
      The following two books tear down this hero and point out the perils of the hero myth with is so prevelant in our religions and culture.

      I didn't bother reading the other books, since I didn't really like the whole Messiah story of the first. I thought everything else was cool though. Now that I know the other books weren't like that, I think I might check out the other books, thanks.

    15. Re:dune by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

      dune was only really inspired in the first novel.
      I disagree entirely. There were a few bits in Dune where the whole good/evil idea was played in very black and white terms, while in the later books it became a full colour spectrum.

      Afterwards, when they have the twins (children of dune), they carry on as if that first child never existed (one of the twins is even named Leto).
      This sounds as if you haven't read Dune Messiah (second book) where Leto and Ghanima are born, or Heretics of Dune (Book 5) where the high priest Tuek (probably a descendent of the smugler of the same name from the first book) explins why Leto II is known as Leto II, even though he was the third one.

      It seems to me that the original Dune novel was intended to stand on it's own.
      While the first book does stand well on its own, and none of the others really do, it was never intended to do so.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    16. Re:dune by cookie_cutter · · Score: 1
      I just finished reading Children of Dune.

      You mean to tell me they resurrect Duncan again! I mean, once I can buy, but twice? Death loses all dramatic significance if everyone is resurected! Is Paul back too!?! How about the old duke Leto?

    17. Re:dune by starX · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I never thought of it that way; the destruction of Dune in the end of the 5th book always seemed to me to be a better fulfillment of Leto's plan: Humanity is now beyond prophecy because the origin of prophecy has been reduced to a molten rock. But I can definitely see your point about Chapterhouse.

      Still, Chapterhouse feels almost as if it is grasping at threads the entire time, and the ending does seem like it wants to be a new beginning, and it might have worked better with a 7th book, but I guess I can't fault the man for dying.

      So in an imperfect world I need to choose between thinking of book 5 of 6 as the end, or book 6, which feels more like the first part of an unfinished sequel to the series. But then again, some time back I think Tim O'Reilly made a good point; the last three books basically build off of and restate the lessons that we as readers, and Paul as character should have learned from the first, so maybe after Children of Dune they're all unnecessary.

      But personally God Emperor is my favorite :)

    18. Re:dune by Twirlip+of+the+Mists · · Score: 1

      Duncan is a ghola. There are dozens of Duncan gholas throughout the series.

      It's more like cloning than resurrection, and believe me, there's a good reason for it. Keep reading.

      --

      I write in my journal
    19. Re:dune by Twirlip+of+the+Mists · · Score: 1

      I don't really see it that way. The Famine Times were kind of like the Dark Ages. Basically nothing happened during the Famine Times. People struggled to survive in the face of the fall of the galactic empire. I don't think there would be any stories worth telling from the Famine Times.

      --

      I write in my journal
    20. Re:dune by The+Bungi · · Score: 1
      Make sure you go on and read God Emperor. It explains the Duncan thing pretty well.

      And of course, he's a very important character in the two remaining books

    21. Re:dune by chrae · · Score: 4, Interesting
      Herbert got through six of the seven. His son has the notes for the seventh, and is preparing to butcher his father's legacy as he's done six times already with those godawful prequel books.

      I second that opinion. Here is Frank Herbert's words about the writing of Dune.

      • It was to be a story exploring the myth of the Messiah. It was to produce another view of a human-occupied planet as an energy machine. It was to penetrate the interlocked workings of politics and economics. It was to be an examination of absolute prediction and its pitfalls. It was to have an awareness drug in it and tell what could happen through dependence on such a substance. Potable water was to be an analog for oil and for water itself, a substance whose supply dimishes each day. It was to be an ecological novel, then, with many overtones, as well as a story about people and their human concerns with human values, and I had to monitor each of these levels at every stage in the book.
      Frank Herbert had researched for six years before he even began putting the Dune story together. Much effort and creativity went into it, and the results reflect it. His son, Brian Herbert and another Kevin Anderson are busy milking the Dune legacy as we speak. They have already released 3 prequels, which takes place a generation before Dune. As a standalone series, they are mediocre at best. As an addition to his father's works, they are a travisty. The first of another 3 has been published, taking thousands of years earlier, during the Bulterian Jihad which is often, but vaguely referred to throughout the Dune series. It was terrible. It was painful to read. I could only manage to read a chapter a day (which is at most, about 5 pages) after which I'd put it down in disgust and be in a foul mood for a good 2 hours. Brian and Kevin have plans, after they poop out book 2 and 3 of the Bulterian Jihad, is to write two more triligies for a total of 12 prequel books. All will be released according do when it's most profitable. After then, will he set his sights on the big mother load itself, Dune 7. The book that Frank Herbert made outlines for, but died before he could write it.

      That being said, SciFi's Dune mini-series is the last hope for many Dune addicts out there. Granted, hardcore readers of the book series will have quibbles with it, but Frank Herbert admitted that film is a language different from English, while working with David Lynch on Dune, the movie. Frank said, "[David Lynch] spoke it and I was a rank beginner. To make a film, you translate, as though from English to German. Each of the world's languages contains linguistic experiences unique to it's own history. You can say things in one language you cannot say in another." I'll keep this in mind, with SciFi's upcoming effort to adapt Children of Dune to the screen.

      ...

      Looking back on it, I realize I did the right thing instinctively. You don't write for success. That takes part of your attention away from the writing. If you're really doing it, that's all you're doing: writing.

      There's an unwritten compact between you and the reader. If someone enters a bookstore and sets down hard earned money (energy) for your book, you owe that person some entertainment and as much more as you can give. That was really my intention all along.

      Frank Herbert, 1920-1986

    22. Re:dune by Performer+Guy · · Score: 1

      But what about the enigmatic all-seeing gardener couple? Who the heck are they? It's been a while so admittedly my memory is sketchy.

    23. Re:dune by Twirlip+of+the+Mists · · Score: 1
      This page has a pretty lengthy discussion on the matter. The author actually has a whole site full of interesting trivia and commentary about the Dune books. He includes my favorite interpretation. He says,
      Many people hold the opinion that Marty and Daniel represent Frank Herbert and Bev his wife, and that in the last chapter Frank Herbert is waving goodbye to us, by the famous last words: Gholas. He's welcome to them. And although this interpretation is strengthed by the Eulogy for Beverly by Frank in the back of the book, it would not surprise me, that he has put this in, with the thought in mind that he might not be able to finish his last book. This 'literary' interpretation does not conflict with the `factual' interpretation that Marty and Daniel are Face Dancers.
      --

      I write in my journal
    24. Re:dune by metlin · · Score: 1

      Marty and Daniel ARE face dancers, where they develop strange abilities upon taking one too many personalities.

      Duncan Idaho could see them because even he had something similar, when all the personalities he had taken for the years and years he's been recreated merged into one. Which is exactly what the Tleilaxu Master says too, and he knows that he could do it too.

      Now, what I'm more interested in is what happened to Ix. Ix was taken over by the Tleilaxu, which is mentioned in House Atriedes. But what happened to Ix after that, and the details of how Ix came up, and ofcourse the Butlerian Jehad.

      I guess there has been a new book on the Butlerian Jehad, by Brian Herbert. Anyone around who's read it?

      But I guess, what Frank Herbert wanted prove is that a single point of failure, like the spice, Arrakkis or Muad'Dib is bound to fail.

      And at the end of Dune:Chapterhouse, he created a sitauation where that would impossible to happen, atleast for quite a while. In that way, the book had a fitting ending.

      But yeah, if only Herbert were still alive! :-)

    25. Re:dune by Performer+Guy · · Score: 1

      Thanks for the link. Very interesting read.

  5. I liked the first one too. by Beebos · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I never understood why people didn't like the Sci-Fi channel's Dune, especially since the movie was so mediocre. I liked the fact that it was more about the story than the special effects.

    -

    1. Re:I liked the first one too. by colinemckay · · Score: 1

      If you look at the Dune mini series as a stage play, rather than a big budget blockbuster film, it comes across much better.

    2. Re:I liked the first one too. by pestel · · Score: 2, Informative
      Everyone says the mini-series is more faithful to the books. Okay, so we had the weirding modules in Lynch's film. Big deal. The makers of the mini-series can't even get the basics right. Reasons to hate the Sci Fi Dune miniseries:
      1. Um, it's supposed to be HOT on dune. Like really really really hot. Why are people walking around without still suits? Why are the castle windows OPEN and the wind from outside fluttering through the curtains?
      2. Why does a worm come when Paul and mom are wondering in the desert ONLY when they start walking wo/ rhythm. Hell, they'd been walking rhythmically for a long time, then suddenly they fall down a dune and the worm comes! Huh?
      3. William Hurt was apparently stoned out of his mind the entire movie.
      4. Paul was not a whiny brat in the book - he was supposed to be mature, especially for his age.
      5. The navigators are supposed to look like fish, not bats.
      6. The hats.... someone should have killed the costumer who must have found hats on sale somewhere. Or maybe they paid him to take them away.
      7. Why is Chani, a young fremen, so fat? Hell, why are all the Fremen so water fat? This is talked about in the book how Paul looks "water fat" initially. There is no way a fremen should have breasts that large, but then fan boys probably wouldn't watch it.
      8. The acting just plain sucked.
      9. What was with all of the different classes doing their little tai chi/dancing when they talked?
      That's just a few of the reasons I can think of off the top of my head having not seen the mini-series since its original airing. As many others have said, I suffered through it, hoping it would get better... The trailer doesn't leave much hope for "Children of Dune" whether you liked the book(s) or not.
    3. Re:I liked the first one too. by LudditeMind · · Score: 1

      Um, it's supposed to be HOT on dune. Like really really really hot. Why are people walking around without still suits? Why are the castle windows OPEN and the wind from outside fluttering through the curtains?

      Did you read the books? The fremen all had still suits, but many of the townspeople wouldn't. Which is why you could tell a fremen by the scars left on their face once the still suit was removed.

      7. Why is Chani, a young fremen, so fat? Hell, why are all the Fremen so water fat? This is talked about in the book how Paul looks "water fat" initially. There is no way a fremen should have breasts that large, but then fan boys probably wouldn't watch it.
      8. The acting just plain sucked.


      Emphatically agree with you here, miscasting like this made watching it unbearable for me. Stilgar was fat, what's up with that?

    4. Re:I liked the first one too. by pestel · · Score: 1

      Did you read the books? The fremen all had still suits, but many of the townspeople wouldn't. Which is why you could tell a fremen by the scars left on their face once the still suit was removed.

      Yes - but I'm talking about Paul and Chani hanging out in the desert, san chill suit (san clothes even). Most of the Fremen weren't wearing suits as I recall, but again I haven't seen it since the original air.

      Frankly I've been trying to forget it - especially the stupid hats! :-)

  6. Beating a Dead Horse? by goldspider · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Given, the books are great, but could it be that these attempts to make TV series out of Herbert's work doing more harm than good? I mean just look at what over-commercialization has done to the Star Trek franchise?

    --
    "Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
    1. Re:Beating a Dead Horse? by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

      Totally unrellated subjects. One is adapting sucesfull books, the other is overusing a TV franchise.

      I'm more worried about the "prequels". I hate it when someone's name gets tagged on stuff he didn't write. His son has some author write stuff, he puts his name (wich is also his father's name, duh) on it: Profit.
      They did stuff like that with Asimov al lot...you see a book that has ASIMOV written in giant bold letters all over the cover, but if you look at the small print its only "inspired" by Asimov...sneaky publishing bastards.

      --

      You can't take the sky from me...

    2. Re:Beating a Dead Horse? by neurojab · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The over commercialization did harm to Star Trek? You must be joking. ST was designed as a purely commercial venture. It's first incarnation was a prime-time TV show designed to capitalize on the average joe's hunger for western themes. They just swapped in space as a setting after the Apollo project killed the target market's interest in the visual aspects of cowboys and indians. That said, I don't think it's possible to "commercialize" Star Trek.

      I agree with your point though... the depth and character of Dune can only be poorly represented on the screen. On the other hand, I thought the same thing about the Lord of the Rings, but the Two Towers was very, very good.

    3. Re:Beating a Dead Horse? by RobotRunAmok · · Score: 2, Insightful

      just look at what over-commercialization has done to the Star Trek franchise?

      OK, I'll bite. What?

      Seriously, the Dune books are written, they are what they are. No one can take anything away from them. If, as a result of the new TV movies, five people go and read the books who might never have picked them up, great! It's not like Frank Herbert is still writing 'em and some new populist direction derived from the TV shows is going to somehow alter a greatness that might have been or the greatness that is and was.

      With luck, the shows will be wildly successful, a new generation of people will read the novels, and the dim expectations of a youth culture made to believe that the likes of "Farscape" or "Babylon 5" constitute the best SF has to offer, simply because they're a tick above the Star Trek/Star Wars "Happy Meal" fodder, will be raised.

      I don't think the Fantsy genre has been ill-served by Peter Jackson's reverent treatment of LOTR. If anything, it means that the public tolerance for a "Sword and the Sorcerer II" has been lowered drastically. All good.

    4. Re:Beating a Dead Horse? by joshv · · Score: 1, Interesting

      I'm more worried about the "prequels". I hate it when someone's name gets tagged on stuff he didn't write. His son has some author write stuff, he puts his name (wich is also his father's name, duh) on it: Profit.

      Except for the fact that his son is also a sci-fi author, who actually co-wrote the prequels, and the fact that the prequels, each one of them, are written better than Dune itself.

      The prequels are fast paced, well written, clear, fascinating page turners that expertly illuminate the events leading up to those protrayed in the original Dune.

      I read Dune long ago in my teens. My girlfriend introduced me to the prequels a few months back. I devoured all four of them - then sat down to read Dune once again. It was anti-climactic.

      -josh

    5. Re:Beating a Dead Horse? by bastion_xx · · Score: 1

      Dune has much more depth and elegance than any of the "prequel" books. The characters are weak, the interrelationship tween the various factions (factions-to-be?) is transparent.

      Brain Herbert needs to give the notes on the final Dune novel to a decent writer who has a better chance of finishing the series.

      Then again, maybe the Butlerian Jihad really was started by a posse of robots who are cruel and like to pick on us po' humans. Plus, there was that good Transformer / Mech Assault drama too. Titans my ass....

    6. Re:Beating a Dead Horse? by blincoln · · Score: 2, Funny

      If anything, it means that the public tolerance for a "Sword and the Sorcerer II" has been lowered drastically.

      The public should always tolerate films where the protagonist's sword has three blades that can be fired off like bullets.

      --
      "...always new atoms but always doing the same dance, remembering what the dance was yesterday." -Richard Feynman
    7. Re:Beating a Dead Horse? by will_die · · Score: 1

      I liked the first 3 prequels better then the butlerian Jihad one, however on the whole it will probably turn into a good series.
      As a whole I would rate them worst then the original 2.5 Dune books, the far better then anything after the Children.

    8. Re:Beating a Dead Horse? by Flamerule · · Score: 2, Informative
      [...] the prequels, each one of them, are written better than Dune itself.
      Wow. You're raising up the Dune prequels above the original Dune? The 1965 Nebula award winner and 1966 Hugo award winner? One of the most famous science fiction novels ever written?
      The prequels are fast paced, well written, clear, fascinating page turners that expertly illuminate the events leading up to those protrayed in the original Dune.
      This is some great advertising copy. "expertly illuminate"? The prequels are entertaining reads (I thought House Harkonnen was somewhat worse than the others), well in line with co-author Kevin J. Anderson's previous work -- his Star Wars novels, for example -- but to compare them to the original Dune is ludicrous.

      Some people enjoy the prequels; others don't care for them. That's all cool. But to call the prequels better than the original... I have to question your taste in SF, and literature in general.

    9. Re:Beating a Dead Horse? by Flamerule · · Score: 1
      [...] the dim expectations of a youth culture made to believe that the likes of "Farscape" or "Babylon 5" constitute the best SF has to offer, simply because they're a tick above the Star Trek/Star Wars "Happy Meal" fodder [...]
      Huh? Knocking Farscape AND B5? Perhaps you would care to offer me any recent SF television series as good as those 2? I can think of shows as good (Buffy, X-Files), but I am genuinely interested in something an order of magnitude better.

      I can't believe you're using those 2 shows to represent the poor interests of a "youth culture". Seems like you should be trashing... I don't know, reality-show dreck, UPN dreck, WB dreck...

    10. Re:Beating a Dead Horse? by joshv · · Score: 1

      This is some great advertising copy. "expertly illuminate"? The prequels are entertaining reads (I thought House Harkonnen was somewhat worse than the others), well in line with co-author Kevin J. Anderson's previous work -- his Star Wars novels, for example -- but to compare them to the original Dune is ludicrous.

      Sorry, did end up sounding a bit like a dust cover blurb there.

      I don't so much care for the fact that the original Dune garnered a Nebula and a Hugo. The prequels, IMHO are better, more entertaining reads. They certainly owe a lot to Dune, and in fact couldn't exist without Dune.

      I found each of the prequels much more engrossing than Dune, and much less prone to the long, tediously nuanced conversations that utterly ruined Dune Messiah, and made for convenient (and too frequent) stopping points in Dune. Perhaps I lack your finely tuned literary tastes, or maybe even the intelligence to follow Herbert's increasingly bizarre plot meanderings. Perhaps I prefer easily digested mind candy over Herbert's 'deep' narrative.

      Or maybe it's the iconoclast in me that could give two shits about the continued veneration of Herbert, and can simply appreciate a well told story framed in the Dune universe, for what it is.

      -josh

    11. Re:Beating a Dead Horse? by RobotRunAmok · · Score: 1

      I said "SF," not "SF Television." Or what passes for SF on Television.

      Once upon a time, the only way anyone "accessed" SF or Fantasy was through books. Now, I'm always amused by how many self-professed "Sci-Fi fans'" only knowledge of the genre is from the raygun-and-catsuit content of TV and movies.

      Part of the value in a successful mini-series based upon a classic SF book is, to my way of thinking, the number of people who will read the book afterwards, get 'hooked,' and read some more...

    12. Re:Beating a Dead Horse? by Flamerule · · Score: 1
      Ah, I was hoping you'd say that. Couldn't think of any SF on tv that you might be talking about; but SF in general, certainly.

      I see good peripheral results from miniseries in terms of people reading the original books, but in this case the good has already been done. We had Lynch's film in the 80s, and the miniseries 2 years ago, both based on the original Dune, but now Scifi is making something whose source material is not very film/miniseries-worthy. I think any Scifi fanboys who go to read the Dune sequels after seeing this miniseries will not find them very enjoyable; I imagine the prequels would be more to their taste.

    13. Re:Beating a Dead Horse? by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

      I thought the same thing about the Lord of the Rings, but the Two Towers was very, very good.
      Run. Fight. Run some more. Fight some more. Fight for a really long time. Fight even more. End. Yeah, great film. Really captured the depth of Tolkien welll.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  7. David Lynch by Bonker · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I have this love-hate thing with David Lynch movies. Most of them I hate, but even in the bad ones, you can tell that Lynch is really working his ass off stylisticly.

    I didn't read Dune before seeing the David Lynch version. I still thought that it was a hell of a movie, despite its many problems. (I hate Kyle Mclaughlin almost as much as I hate Ben Affleck.) Even having read Dune, the Sci-fi mini-series just left me flat up next to the sheer style of the first movie.

    --
    The next Slashdot story will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and slashdot the links early!
    1. Re:David Lynch by awfar · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Yes; any movie that presents a complicated storyline and environment such as Dune -and- matches it with an Epic style can be a great thing. I have not read the book(s) yet (they were very difficult read for me, to learn their vocabulary, etc.), but I have watched the lynch movie over and over again and the story line gets more complete every time. I think he did a truly good job for any movie of such depth of subject, but cannot judge accuracy from Herbert's perspective.

    2. Re:David Lynch by emil_nikolov · · Score: 1

      I think you either skimmed through the series or have no idea of style(at least in cinematography). Vittorio Storaro's work is beyond reproach. The sets are amazing and beautiful without being in you face and blend perfectly with the story. The lighting and camerawork are extremely masterful as well.

      Everything from costume design to editing blows away David Lynch's way overdone, tacky style.

    3. Re:David Lynch by awfar · · Score: 1

      Wow, I did not find it tacky at all. I found it very Victorian in many ways ala H.G. Wells or Verne maybe. I see in it that after technology and politics evolve over and over again for millenia that technology "function" follows "form". That is, technology's function is hidden and the form is demonstrated by the rich, large, Victorian style that I saw in Lynch's portrayal. For example, floating lamps, defying gravity with no visible support, that follow through the hall, illuminating every step. This shows an incredible control of power and technology, but it's means are invisible behind the style or design. Once humans gain control of a technology, we often cover it or dress it up to remove the technology and all that is left is art and beauty. Cars are that way, Windows, etc.

  8. Greatest thing since sliced bread by Shanoyu · · Score: 1

    The Sci-fi movies are going to make Dune the phenomenon it should be, the only problem is figuring out how a dune enthusiast is going to wear that huge metal collapsable wall that they show in the promos.

  9. It was great by benh57 · · Score: 1

    The last scifi channel dune series was better than the orignal movie, IMO. Among other things, they showed more of the story. And the chick was hot.

    1. Re:It was great by fmita · · Score: 1

      The original movie, directed by Lynch, was something like 4 hours long, but the studio forced him to cut it down to size. He hated having to do that, and, though it's apparently hard to find, I believe he released the full, 4-hour version. It seems to me to be a similar predicament with LOTR. The books are so long, fitting them into a movie is impossible without cutting some stuff. And no offense, but Lynch is a much higher calibre director than whoever directed the series. He's just a little...weird.

    2. Re:It was great by fmita · · Score: 1

      In fact, I think I heard that Lynch claims the shortened version is not his movies, since he didn't get to take part in the editing process.

  10. Dissapointed That This is Non-Theatre by mrs+clear+plastic · · Score: 3, Interesting

    As I read the article, it seems to me (and please
    flame/correct me if I am wrong) that this is not intended for the movie theatres, but intended for television.

    I strongly feel that these type of movies should be on the big screen. Even if there is no decent plot (and I know the Dune will have a plot), magnificent scenes should be seen on a large screen in a decent, comfortable theatre.

    I remember the original Dune. I loved some of the epic scens on the large screen in a decent theatre
    with a good sound system. In fact, even though I am not a Dunnite and did not understand the plot, I still sat through it twice just for the scenery.

    I later saw portions on a TV screen. The small screen does not do this type of movie justice. Only if someone has a decent home theatre type TV system with a dedicated room and good sound would a Dune type picture be worth putting on TV.

    I really feel that these folks should release the series into theatres and then make it available via DVD/tape for the TV crowd.

    I apoligize in advance if I read the article incorrectly.

    Mark

    --
    Cleara
    1. Re:Dissapointed That This is Non-Theatre by wilpig · · Score: 1

      The first mini-series has been released in a 2 DVD set. Just check your local video store or your favorite online retailer *cough* DVD Empire *cough* ;) Always go for the wide screen directors cut.

      DVD Profiler Collection

    2. Re:Dissapointed That This is Non-Theatre by 2muchcoffeeman · · Score: 1
      Terribly sorry to disappoint you.

      OK, maybe not.

      To be perfectly honest, Hollywood had its chance with this story and botched it -- mainly because it had to be edited so much that too much of the story had to be cut out.

      And that's kind of the point, isn't it? Frank Herbert wrote an epic story, not something to hang pretty scenery on -- if that's your preference, may I recommend 2001 or something from the ever-expanding selection of Star Wars mediocrities?

      The story really is the selling point, and the small screen is perfect for it. You don't get lost in the pretty pictures and can focus on what's happening to the characters.

      --
      Prevent Windows piracy. Use Linux instead.
  11. The Giver; Pete and Pete by yerricde · · Score: 1

    Paul had a son he named Leto, but his son was killed. Afterwards, when they have the twins (children of dune), they carry on as if that first child never existed (one of the twins is even named Leto).

    Naming a child after a person who died is common in some fictional universes. In The Giver by Lois Lowry, after Caleb is killed in an accident, the people of the village name the next child Caleb. In effect, Caleb is dead; long live Caleb. Heck, look at Nickelodeon's The Adventures of Pete and Pete, where two living brothers have the same given name.

    Then again, I've never read any of the Dune series. Leto's surname wasn't Haxor, was it?

    --
    Will I retire or break 10K?
    1. Re:The Giver; Pete and Pete by Lshmael · · Score: 1

      You just compared Dune to "The Giver" and "The Adventures of Pete & Pete," thereby making your last paragraph totally obvious to everyone who has read any of the books. The abyss between the Dune universe and the two mediocre fictional "worlds" (if you can call them that) is so wide, you could fit a sandworm in it. Lengthwise.

    2. Re:The Giver; Pete and Pete by Neon+Spiral+Injector · · Score: 1

      Not to mention the real world Richard D. James, aka Aphex Twin.

  12. What the hell is this Children of Dune about? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Is it one of those SD Dune series spinoff that features miniature/younger/cartoon versions of original characters, aimed at younger audioance and toy sales, just like SD Gundam?

  13. SF Mainstay by mugnyte · · Score: 2, Insightful


    Dune is a part of the must-read list, as far as the first book. The movie/tv stuff paled in comparison.

    Before I read another "is there no shame" post, herbert is getting what he deserves: paid. This guy has a trmendous imagination and the motivation to organize it. I support the commercialization of anything, because it means it's popular. Unlike free-as-in-beer software, there is a place for "selling out" as much as possible. Fiction has a commercial lifetime, and capturing the sweet spot is part of the game.

    Let the Dune franchise flourish.

    mug

    1. Re:SF Mainstay by Disoculated · · Score: 1
      Er, not that I heard anybody complain about Herbert getting paid, but I don't think his compensation is of much interest to him... I mean... he's dead, right?

    2. Re:SF Mainstay by Scrameustache · · Score: 1

      herbert is getting what he deserves: paid

      Frank Herbert, author of the Dune books, died in 1986.

      --

      You can't take the sky from me...

    3. Re:SF Mainstay by Flamerule · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Before I read another "is there no shame" post, herbert is getting what he deserves: paid. This guy has a trmendous imagination and the motivation to organize it.
      Frank Herbert is long dead. It's his son, Brian Herbert, who is cashing out on his father's legacy. I would certainly not call any of those rewards "deserved".
      Let the Dune franchise flourish.
      No. This isn't a case of an author doing what he wants to with his creation, it's of an estate inheritor doing what he wants with the deceased estate owner's property.
    4. Re:SF Mainstay by Osty · · Score: 1

      Dune is a part of the must-read list, as far as the first book.

      Please, please, please recommend reading the other books in the series as well! Book one of Dune is really little more than backstory. It's setting up the history of the Tyrant through to his grandparents (Leto I and Jessica). Books two and three show Paul as a failed messiah, his attempt at redemption, and the effect of his failure on his son and how it helped form the Tyrant Leto II. In short, the story is a lot deeper and more complicated than the first book would lead one to believe.


      I applaud Sci-Fi for continuing with the Dune series. Perhaps one day we'll see the entire series in theatrical (well, made-for-tv theater, anyway) form, hopefully leading to video games and such based on the later novels as well. It gets tiring when everything up to now has focused on such a tiny part of the Dune mythos, when there is so much more interesting material to work with.

    5. Re:SF Mainstay by mugnyte · · Score: 1


      I meant his son. Sorry for the confusion. Back to your stations.

    6. Re:SF Mainstay by mindstrm · · Score: 1

      What I don't get.. everyone always whines about books that are made into TV shows or movies. Always.

      Look.. think of it in terms of a creative work of art based on a book, not on "it must be true to the book".

      Neither the miniseries or the movie was a bastardization, both made a good attempt at creating a good and interesting production out of the book. What more can we ask?

  14. hoping for better quality by scrotch · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Hopefully in this one they can at least get the shadows of live actors consistent with the shadows painted into the sets. It was so distracting to see 2 people with their shadows on their left standing in front of "beautiful desert scenery" with shadows on the right sides of the mountains.

    1. Re:hoping for better quality by rivaldufus · · Score: 1

      Perhaps I'm wrong (I've not seen the Dune Sci-Fi series in a while) but weren't there multiple suns? I don't remember the scene to which you're referring, but one could make a weak justification for two sets of shadows if there were two suns (even if they don't show both suns in that scene)

  15. version control by gilroy · · Score: 2, Funny

    So shouldn't the twin be named Leto III?

    Nah...Leto II.b
    1. Re:version control by Leto2 · · Score: 2, Funny
      In CVS it would be 1.2.2.1

      (with this username, I had to make at least 1 post in this thread)

      --
      <grub> Reading /. at -1 is like driving through Cracktown in a convertible that is stuck in 1st
    2. Re:version control by trp0 · · Score: 1

      or at leas, Leto II: The Electric Boogaloo

  16. Dune Messiah? by Adolatra · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Wasn't Children of Dune the third book in the saga? Are they planning on incorporating it with Dune Messiah (which would be more than a little tricky, IMO), or are they simply going to skip the second book?

    1. Re:Dune Messiah? by Kaypro · · Score: 5, Informative

      John Harrison, the screenwriter and co-producer answers (from here):

      Q: What books does Children of Dune cover? Why not call it Dune Messiah?

      A: After the enormous success of SCI FI's first Frank Herbert's Dune miniseries, SCI FI asked Richard Rubinstein and me to come up with a proposal for another. After a lot of thought and conversation, it seemed that the next books in Frank Herbert's epic presented unique adaptation opportunities as well as problems.

      Dune Messiah by itself did not resolve completely enough to stand on its own; it set the stage for Children of Dune. But that third book couldn't be the basis for a new miniseries without the precedent of Dune Messiah. So I decided we should combine both books and create a continuation of the first miniseries. Simply put, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune would complete the saga of Muad'Dib and set the stage for what was to come.

      There is a significant passage in Frank Herbert's Dune, spoken by Reverend Mother Ramallo, in which she tells Paul that "when religion and politics ride in the same cart, the whirlwind follows." Of course she means Muad'Dib -- he is the whirlwind. As Dune fans know, in Dune Messiah he is tortured by what that whirlwind has meant, of what has become of his revolution. And, as students of history, we know that "every revolution contains the seeds of its own destruction." In Children of Dune, those seeds have started to bloom. But there is an answer, a road that Muad'dib was unable or unwilling to take: the Golden Path. By the end of Children of Dune, Muad'dib's son, Leto II, is willing to go down that path.

      So I decided to combine both Dune Messiah and Children of Dune into one seamless narrative that would complete this chapter of the Atreides on Arrakis and set the stage for the next 3,000-year era, the Golden Path, and the reign of the God Emperor.

    2. Re:Dune Messiah? by fremen · · Score: 1

      According to this webpage, the series will encompass both Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. It has simply been named after the latter rather than former book. To quote:

      Dune Messiah by itself did not resolve completely enough to stand on its own; it set the stage for Children of Dune. But that third book couldn't be the basis for a new miniseries without the precedent of Dune Messiah. So I decided we should combine both books and create a continuation of the first miniseries. Simply put, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune would complete the saga of Muad'Dib and set the stage for what was to come.

    3. Re:Dune Messiah? by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

      There is a significant passage in Frank Herbert's Dune, spoken by Reverend Mother Ramallo, in which she tells Paul that "when religion and politics ride in the same cart, the whirlwind follows."
      I haven't seen the series but this makes me feel it won't be worth the effort. In the books, Jessica says 'When religion and politics ride in the same cart...' and goes on to explain that it will all end in tear (Okay, I simplfy slightly. Whirlwinds are not mentioned in Dune, because they are insignificant compated to coriolis storms (saying something is like a whirlwind on dune would be saying it's loud, but fairly localised and unimportant). Leto II is compared to the 'typhoon struggle', which is close to this reference. RM Ramello says very little, she appears, tells Jesica she's been a bit foolish not telling anyone she was pregnant then dies. She was made into the narrator by David Lynch, but if they're just making a TV series based on a film based on the book, then what's the point?

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  17. No by A55M0NKEY · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The sci-fi channel can't produce anything. This CoD will suck as bad as their remake of Dune did. They should not make things, but buy them already made from other people.

    --

    Eat at Joe's.

    1. Re:No by RevAaron · · Score: 1

      The SF Dune series may not have been great, but one has to admit it was a helluva lot better than that giant feces of a movie that was the original Dune film adapatation.

      --

      Working toward a usable PDA environment in the spirit of Newton OS: Dynapad
    2. Re:No by jmauro · · Score: 1

      I don't know. After seeing the SF Dune, I had a new respect for David Lynch. Lynch's movie felt more like Dune and less like a bad Power Ranger's remake.

    3. Re:No by sandman935 · · Score: 1

      Certainly, Lynch glossed over a great many details, but I think he had the right tone.

      The television show looked like every other crap sci-fi movie you've ever seen from the 70's.

      --

      Defecation occurs.
    4. Re:No by bobKali · · Score: 1

      I've gotta agree. While I usually like Lynch, the whole weirding module thing and the sound-based weapons... it significantly changed the plot. And then there were those annoying little details like heart plugs, etc... that just irritated me to no end. I just chalked it up to the difficulty of making that book into a movie, but then SF came along and did a much better adeptation.

      I just wish they had better actors.

    5. Re:No by seann · · Score: 1

      cold equasions = great.

      --
      I'm a big retard who forgot to log out of Slashdot on Mike's computer! LOOK AT ME.
    6. Re:No by ChodaBoy · · Score: 1

      I agree somewhat. If you could take Lynch's casting, set budget, costume, special effects, etc. and marry it with Sci-Fi's slightly better adherence to the actual novel you'd have a good Dune movie. As it was, Lynch's Dune was a good movie based on character's in the first novel but it wasn't Dune.

      I mean, weirding modules? If Lynch wanted funky zap guns for the movie he could have used the Lasguns without inventing weapons to replace the weirding way.

      Sci-Fi stuck a little closer to the story but, IMHO, the casting was way off. William Hurt is not Duke Leto, and the kid playing Paul came off like a petulant child with a freak gift.

      One can only hope Sci-Fi has learned something from their last attempt.

      --
      ChodaBoy
      - The preceding statement is the product of a deranged mind and the sole property of the voices in my head.
  18. For what it's worth by IWantMoreSpamPlease · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I never read the Dune story. Doesn't interest me. I *did*, however see the Davis Lynch movie. It was fine. Some of the special effects blew, but that was to be expected. Last year I see the Dune mini-series.

    Or tried to. Paul came off as a whiney spoiled brat and the costumes were *clearly* stolen from Liberace's closet.

    My friend and I got about one hour into it before we'd had enough and put on something worthwhile.

    No, this is not flamebait ot trolling, I'm stating a viewpoint. My viewpoint is the mini-series and I', sure the sequels aren't worth the time from a casual fan POV.

    --
    So rise up, all ye lost ones, as one, we'll claw the clouds.
  19. I hope.... by Lord_Slepnir · · Score: 2, Informative

    ....that this one has a budget of more than $20. I mean, last time SciFi did this, while the writing was pretty good, the acting (particularly Duke Leto) was like watching Al Gore. More than half the sets were sand filled soundstages with cheap backgrounds painted on the backgrounds.

    1. Re:I hope.... by theefer · · Score: 1

      the acting (particularly Duke Leto) was like watching Al Gore.
      Could have been worse then, like GW Bush or something ...

      --
      theefer
    2. Re:I hope.... by jldrew · · Score: 1

      with cheap backgrounds painted on the backgrounds.

      Ah, a feint within a feint. How Dune-like!

  20. Re:I'm confused by delcielo · · Score: 1

    This second series is going to cover the ground of both the "Messiah" and "Children" books.

    At least, that's the way it was sold when first proposed.

    --
    Hot Damn! It's the Soggy Bottom Boys!
  21. Re:Linux? by The+Only+Druid · · Score: 4, Informative

    You're a fool. A notable point in Dune is that there are no computers. In fact, Herbert explains that millenia before there was a robotic revolution, leading to a banning of computers of any sophistication. The Mentats are human computers, performing such calculations, although they are an industrial society. Spaceflight is accomplished through the mental powers of Navigators to bend space.

    Your post was completely off-topic and irrelevant.

    Sorry if this is harsh, but you shouldn't post just to post.

    --
    "Stumble before you crawl"
  22. The first mini-series... by Mac+Degger · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ...was too...clean. I always thought of Arakis as a really dusty, grimy place...the mini-series /looked/ as if it was filmed on a clean soundstage.

    And as for the acting...*sigh*.

    --
    -- Waht? Tehr's a preveiw buottn?
    1. Re:The first mini-series... by naasking · · Score: 1

      You need moisture for griminess. :-)

    2. Re:The first mini-series... by LilJimbo · · Score: 1

      perhaps they mean it should have been dustier, sandier etc, even without water it still seemed too clean

  23. Sci-Fi's versions are cool... by Ricdude · · Score: 1

    The Sci-Fi channel's versions are cool, if only to show that good storytelling nowadays doesn't require a $200 million budget. Yes, the backdrops in the first Dune series were obviously painted. Transcribing the story behind Dune to any multimedia format is exceedingly difficult, as so much of the story goes on in the characters' heads. Sci-Fi's version did a reasonable job of telling the story.

    Look into the future, after the fall of the RIAA and MPAA, to a time when actors and sports stars make a wage commensurate with their offerings to society. You'll probably be lucky to see cinema half as elaborate as what you see in this telling of the story. More power to them.

    --
    How's my programming? Call 1-800-DEV-NULL
    1. Re:Sci-Fi's versions are cool... by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

      So you don't care about visual effects? In that case I recommend that you read the book. You'll find that your brain's built in VR (or imagination as it is sometimes called) will produce a much higher quality rendering than anything that can be done with wooden actors on a low budget set with script writters who seem to have heard about the book but not actually read it.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  24. I thought they were cutting back? by circusboy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I just wish they had put some of this money into another season of farscape...

    --
    -- it's ridiculous how many people misspell ridiculous... (damn, damn, damn...)
  25. Intresting stuff by Universal+Nerd · · Score: 1

    The cast and backstory.

    Will Daniela Amavis become the next Natalie Portman? :)

    --
    Ash nazg durbatuluk, ash nazg gimbatul Ash nazg thrakatuluk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul
    1. Re:Intresting stuff by 2muchcoffeeman · · Score: 1

      That depends. Will we get to see pics of her reaching down the back of her pants to dig out a wedgie in the supermarket tabloids?

      --
      Prevent Windows piracy. Use Linux instead.
  26. Read Dune, Then Stop by Nova+Express · · Score: 4, Informative

    Its easy to understand why Sci-Fi would make a miniseries of Dune, since it's a great book. Were it not for Hollywood's sequel mentality, it would be a lot harder to understand why they're making a miniseries of Dune Messiah and Children of Dune (which Sci-Fi is mashing together for the Children of Dune miniseries), which are not great books by any stretch of the imagination.

    Here's some advice for those who haven't read any of Herbert's many Dune sequels yet: Don't. Not only were they not as good as the original, they weren't even in the same league. If you ask just about any serious science fiction reader, they'll tell you the same thing: Read Dune, then STOP! Dune Messiah sucks, Children of Dune sucks less than Dune Messiah, but still isn't a tenth as good as the original, and God-Emperor of Dune sucks the farts out of dead cats.

    If you can just pretend that Herbert never wrote anything after Dune, you'll avoid wasting your time reading inferior sequels and tarnishing your memories of the original.

    --
    Lawrence Person (lawrencepersonh@gmailh.com (remove all "h"s to mail)

    http://www.lawrenceperson.com/

    1. Re:Read Dune, Then Stop by Alea · · Score: 4, Insightful

      One of the most interesting things about the Dune series is that it's one of the only series where I don't meet with a general consensus on the quality of the various books. I've met people whose favourites were the first, third, fourth and sixth. Even rankings after favourites aren't consistent. How many novel series do you know where most people don't agree, "The first one was best and blah, blah, blah....".

      Don't blindly accept the parent poster's judgement. Even if general experience suggests that sequels are often weak, Dune is a series where I have specifically noticed this odd exception.

    2. Re:Read Dune, Then Stop by TygerFish · · Score: 1

      Its easy to understand why Sci-Fi would make a miniseries of Dune, since it's a great book. Were it not for Hollywood's sequel mentality, it would be a lot harder to understand why they're making a miniseries of Dune Messiah and Children of Dune

      This is a curiously modern problem. The need of the writer or producer to exploit their 'product,' 'franchise,' or what have you outweighs the needs of the story to be a complete and completed experience and the combination of the need to exploit success coupled with the nature of stories themselves form a trap for writers and writing.

      A story works by solving the problems that drive the action in it and once all those problems are solved the story is over. Epic fictions like Dune makes this aspect of writing glaringly obvious; when you have 'saved the universe' or 'destroyed and remade the old order,' you're done and there's nothing left to the story that flows from it naturally; more storytelling is anticlimax.

      It's just one reason history has spared us, 'Romeo and Juliet II.'

      --
      To mail me, remove the 'mailno' from my email addy.
      "Yeah. It smells, too..."
    3. Re:Read Dune, Then Stop by Nept · · Score: 1

      Agreed. Personally, I don't think the last 3 books in the Dune series can even be considered sequels in the sense that we are usually familiar with. They are mark an almost completely different shift in style. I mean, it's not so much like a Robert Jordan series, where the author keeps cranking them out, for who knows what reason, and extending the same basic plot over 10 books ... the dune sequels are just different. That's not much of a review I guess, but the first time I read them, I disliked them, the second time around, I enjoyed them. I think anyone will agree though that the first book was the best.

      --
      "Teachers leave us kids alone ..." - Roger Waters, Pink Floyd
    4. Re:Read Dune, Then Stop by dscowboy · · Score: 1

      Sounds like you're only interested in the 'adventure' aspect of the Dune books. As with most sci-fi, the adventure/plot of Dune is secondary to the anaolgies and ideas the author is trying to describe.

      The second and third books are totally essential to the Dune story, the whole central theme of the trilogy (the problems with messiahs/heroes)doesn't even take shape until the second book. I would recommend people NOT read just the first book, it provides an unbalanced vision of the whole. If you're expecting a "Captain Action Verses The Monkeys From Mars!" type novel, don't bother reading any of the books at all, you won't get it.

      Stop reading the books when they become boring to you. For me, the whole last two books were boring. There were no new ideas, just more superhuman powers. Books 1 through 4 though, were FASCINATING. Everytime I read God Emperor I feel a little more enlightened.

    5. Re:Read Dune, Then Stop by krilia · · Score: 1

      You want another series where no one agrees on which ones were the good books? Roger Zelazny's Amber series. Several other similiarities: almost no one like the second half as much as the first half, and someone else has written a prequel (or more than one for Dune) of dubious worth.

  27. Re:I'm confused by bobeszcica · · Score: 1

    The miniseries "Children of Dune" will cover both the books "Dune Messiah" and "Children of Dune".

  28. Confused: by Bendebecker · · Score: 1

    Children of Dune was the third book in the series, wasn't it? What are they going to do about Dune Messiah. I read Dune Messiah and if I am not mistaken, Paul and his wife(the non princess one) both died in it(Paul was blinded and he walked off to die in the desert) and Duncan Idaho was brought back to life. How are they going to fit that into the story without having to do at least parts of Dune Messiah in flashbacks or something? Or are they just going to screw the story completely?

    --
    There's a growing sense that even if The Future comes,
    most of us won't be able to afford it.
    -- Lemmy
  29. Re:Linux? by wcb4 · · Score: 1

    actually that is not true, the bending space (folding) was strictly for the movie. The navigators are able to use the spice to see slightly into the future, to know where things WILL be in space, and navigate around them before they are actualy there. You must be prescient to do this, as flight at those velocities would not allow you to react, so you must proactively steer your ship around where things WILL be in the future. Its not about folding space, its about seeing the future.

    --
    I reject your reality ... and substitute my own.
  30. Nooooo! Say it ain't so! by DeepEyes78 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I consider myself a fan of the series. I got started by seeing the Davis Lynch version of the film sometime in '89. That got me interested enough to read the books. In hindsight, the Lynchs' version isn't faithful as it could be. But it is loaded with style, good actors and great locations. As a stand-alone, it fares pretty well.

    Now zip forward a decade or so and I keep hearing about Sci-Fi doing their version of "Dune". The majority of opinions I hear say it's pretty good. I eventually get around to renting the DVD, and you know what? I had to force myself to watch the whole thing. It's that bad. The costumes are lame (someone here made a comment about the costumes being stolen from "Liberace's closet". That's a pretty accurate statement.) Their use of soundstages are far too obvious (A lot of the backdrops look like they were painted by high-school kids.) and a majority of the acting was just piss-poor BAD. Whenever Alec Newman (Paul Atreides) spoke, I cringed as if someone were running their nails down a chalkboard. William Hurt slept through his role as Leto, seemingly there to collect a paycheck and nothing more. I could go on and on. But what I don't get is how I seem to be in the minority! Hey, if people want more "Dune" and Sci-Fi is willing to give it to 'em. So much the better. Just don't expect me to counting the days until the sequal airs.

  31. Tremors - The Series by SiliconSlick · · Score: 1

    Would anyone else besides me like to see Sci Fi channel concentrate more on adapting SF literature than on recent bad horror films?

    Naw... I looking forward to Tremors: The Series... the 3 movies were quality cheese and I'm hoping the series is just as campy.

  32. TMBG by fleck_99_99 · · Score: 3, Funny

    I didn't like the last one, and yet I was drawn to it... Too big a fan of the series, I suppose.

    The costumes were OK, but can someone PLEASE smack down the hat designer? The big floating sail covered with butterflies was a bit much, and every time Feyd walked onscreen with that ridiculous triangle behind his head, I had to start singing..

    Triangle man, Triangle man...

    --
    seven two six five
    seven four six one seven
    two six four two e
    1. Re:TMBG by HarveyBirdman · · Score: 1

      Ever seen an actual fashion show? The Dune miniseries was tame in comparison to what is really out there.

      --
      --- Ban humanity.
  33. *Hollywood's* sequel mentality???? by HarveyBirdman · · Score: 5, Funny
    How about Brian Herbert's sequel mentality?

    Who needs Hollywood when your own offspring will milk your legacy until it withers and dies- oh, wait, it already HAS withered and died. I guess now the appropriate cliche would be "beating a dead Shai'Hulud" which is something many of you guys out there can relate to. Hoo hoo!

    Further sequels from Hollywood:

    The Color Of Dune: a pool shark hits Arrakis and comes within one step of hustling the trust deed to the palace. Muad'Dib manages to weirding his way around a tricky three ball combination to win the day. Stars Tom Cruise as the dumb guy.

    Look Who's Taking Dune: Yet more children are exposed to their ancestral memories in the womb, and squirt their way out into the new world chatting up a storm and calling storms down from the skies. Stars John Travolta as the dumb guy.

    Dune - The Revenge: Ravenous sand sharks infest the deserts of Arrakis. A malfunctioning transport full of children and Bene Gesserit nuns (or whatever) is stranded in the middle of the Great Erg, and hilarity ensues! Starring Owen Wilson as the dumb guy.

    Dune 3 - Cruise Control: Muad-Dib must somehow rescue a band of Fremen from the back of a bezerk sandworm rigged to explode if it's speed drops below 50 mph! Starring Keanu Reeves as the really dumb guy.

    Dune & Robin: Arrakis. Schumacher. Show tunes. Do the math. The horror... the horror...

    The Quisatz Haderach's New Groove: Muad'Dib is transformed by a nanotech accident into a llama, and hilarity ensues.

    ObBeowulf: Soon they will have enough sequels for a Beowulf cluster. Ha ha. :-\

    --
    --- Ban humanity.
    1. Re:*Hollywood's* sequel mentality???? by GlassUser · · Score: 1

      I don't suppose there's an automatic "+5, absolute riot" mod? Everyone in the office is staring at me, and I can't stop laughing. You're going to get me in fired, but I enjoyed it. Thanks!

    2. Re:*Hollywood's* sequel mentality???? by greg_barton · · Score: 1

      Moulin Dune: Muad'Dib sings show tunes to win back Chani's love. Hilarity ensues.

    3. Re:*Hollywood's* sequel mentality???? by SavageSMC · · Score: 1

      how about "Dances with worms" a touching story filmed in the beautiful sand plains about a saudarkar who discovers the beatuy of the fremen culture and becomes a sandworm rider....

  34. I enjoyed all of the original Dune books. by jeremedia · · Score: 1
    I always wonder about those who complain about the Dune sequels. To me, they are amazing feats of imagination and exploration of human potential. It would be amazing to see a Peter Jackson level devotion to the creation of totality of the Dune series. To see the God Emperor in his full glory, endlessly squashing endless clones of Duncan, until finally getting the Duncan he seeks! Incredible stuff. And who can forget The Honored Madres, the perverse Reverend Mothers of the later books, who rule with sexual techniques that reduce men into slathering slaves. And the Bashar who achieves "Matrix"-sequel time-dilation (long before The Matrix films), and kills every person in a giant Reverend Mother facility before the guards out front finish turning around to see what's up. The scene afterwards in a cafe where eats an amazing quantity of food to replace the energy he just let loose on Madres is classic.

    Here's to hoping Sci Fi goes all the way to Chapterhouse.

    1. Re:I enjoyed all of the original Dune books. by Leeto2 · · Score: 1

      Yep. Though it would be hard to see how anyone could do Chapterhouse Dune with the Honered Matres and keep an 'R' Rating. Particularly when Duncan Idaho and the Honored Matre (can't remember the name) er, um 'compete' in the sack.

      --



      "That's no moon"... Obi-Wan Kenobi
  35. Re:Yeah, that's fine. . . by WileyWiggins · · Score: 1

    Lynch actually had some vision and the guts to make an original work, which is about the only way that film adaptations of books ever truly work. The Sci-fi network's Dune adaptations are weak in too many ways to mention, but foremost is their poor visual style, which leaves them looking like bad video games. If they completely tossed all the special effects and concentrated on the actors (oops, they would have to get better actors to do that, wouldn't they?) and their interactions they would be better off (as a matter of fact, that's what Lynch originally wanted to do, but the studios wanted to try and squeeze a star-wars style space-opera out of him).

  36. Re:Linux? by WileyWiggins · · Score: 1

    Do you honestly believe that people will use anything resembling what we recognize as an 'operating system' or even a 'computer' in the year 10,000? Especially in a fictional world where 'thinking machines' are illegal? Just a thought.

  37. Boycotting Sci-Fi Channel because of Farscape? by lhouk281 · · Score: 1

    I thought we were supposed to be boycotting the Sci-Fi Channel because they cancelled Farscape?

    1. Re:Boycotting Sci-Fi Channel because of Farscape? by HarveyBirdman · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yes, but support them when they do actual science fiction.

      --
      --- Ban humanity.
    2. Re:Boycotting Sci-Fi Channel because of Farscape? by coolmacdude · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It is sad that we lost farscape, but I will watch as long as it has Stargate.

      --

      -You may license this sig for only $6.99.
  38. CowboyNeal by oliverthered · · Score: 2, Funny

    CowboyNeal is my Sci-Fi channel

    --
    thank God the internet isn't a human right.
  39. children of Dune.. by geekoid · · Score: 2, Funny

    Let see, that would be Sandy and Loam?

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  40. Give Scifi Channel Some Credit by lasmith05 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I think it's great that Dune fans finally get to see some Children of Dune in a tv series. It's always fun to watch something that you've read about millions of times.

    --
    www.samuraidreams.com - My Blog
    www.samuraifiles.com - Get Some Videos Here
  41. I pesonally like the music in Dune :-) by Jugalator · · Score: 1

    Check out Dune - Spice Opera. The links aren't working right now, but it seems the webmaster is working on it. You're guided to another site while s/he sort things out, but that one was very slow for me. Anyway, you might get the Spice Opera CD from Kazaa or something too.

    I don't think it's something you can get from a store, or even order that easily. :-/

    --
    Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
  42. Forgot something.. :-P by Jugalator · · Score: 1

    Sorry, I completely forgot to mention that it's a soundtrack CD released by Exxos for the computer game Dune, but I think it matches the Dune "theme" remarkably well. You might not like all tunes in it, but I really like the sound of Ecolove and a few others. Pretty unique music style.

    --
    Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
  43. sure they are by EEgopher · · Score: 1

    Stephen King's "IT" was just on the other day. What a great flick! What we must hope, however, is that they don't take "Dune" the movie to the level that "Oliver" the musical took Dickens's classic. I've just finished reading the latter, and plan to purchase and begin reading the former this evening. Oliver Twist is a fantastic book, yet the musical makes it look completely stupid. Case in point: the most famous scene of the musical (the close-up shot of the fat wide-eyed Beadle bellowing "MORE?!?!?!?!" into Oliver's face) never happens in the book. In the book, the Beadle just gets deathly silent (still wide-eyed) and whispers in shocked astonishment: "What did you say?"
    I'm excited to read Dune. I know I'm lagging behind most of you, in that I haven't read it yet, but I'm excited to gain friends in the /. community (not).

    --
    hi, I like pancakes -.-- -.-- --..
    1. Re:sure they are by forkboy · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Stephen King's "IT" was just on the other day. What a great flick!

      If you read IT prior to seeing the movie, you'd have a different opinion. IT is probably the only Stephen King book that actually scared me (not that some of his others aren't good, they're just not as spooky) hell, it's the only BOOK that's ever scared me. Granted I was 15 when I read it, but still.

      Having read the book, the movie paled in comparison. So much detail was left out, interactions between the protagonists as children and things that happened to them were much more detailed and set the stage quite well for the later reckoning.

      I'd go the other route for Dune though...much like Tolkien's novels, Dune was a collection of fascinating, unique, and pioneering ideas written by someone who's basically a big blowhard. Dune and the Lord of the Rings read like textbooks to me. The information, while new and useful, was not presented in an exciting context. The Silmarillion was even worse, it was about as amusing as reading the Bible.

      Good thing Herbert's kid can write. Too bad Tolkien's kid can't.

      --
      This message brought to you by the Council of People Who Are Sick of Seeing More People.
    2. Re:sure they are by EEgopher · · Score: 1

      I actually have read the book "It" (age 17) and it scared me green, as well. But I maintain that the movie is great because they did the best they could with expensive air-time and a viewer's 3-hour attention span. Since each character is important, you can't have big-name actors for some and duds for others; thus, Tommy Wallace chose big actors for each character and gave them all a chance to contribute to the flick. In addition, a movie based any more closely to the book would have been just awful to watch, if not impossible to film: Pennywise killing infants, pre-teen sex in the sewer, the bloody and gory rock-fight . . . it would have been too much, even for the big screen. I say they did a fantastic job with a monumentally scary novel.

      --
      hi, I like pancakes -.-- -.-- --..
  44. All links by Knacklappen · · Score: 3, Informative

    Why to waste time with all those JavaScript-popups, here are the real links:
    TCA trailer
    Whirlwind
    Boys to Men
    Alia
    Teaser

    --


    Excellence: Moderate (mostly affected by comments on your karma)
    1. Re:All links by coolmacdude · · Score: 1

      thanks, now i can save them

      --

      -You may license this sig for only $6.99.
  45. Ah, but after God Emperor the goodness returned by Jerf · · Score: 1

    The last two books, which are basically one large book split into two pieces, "Heretics of Dune" and "Chapterhouse: Dune" are the best books in the series, which you didn't even mention. It takes place thousands of years after God Emperor and kicks ass in much the same style (though not in the same ways) as the original Dune. After the claustrophobia of the fourth book, the universe in the fifth and sixth book is too large for even any of the characters to understand.

    If you're going to sit through God Emperor, at least get the payoff of reading the last two.

  46. Re:Messiah? by LilJimbo · · Score: 1

    they don't need a fully intact body as far as I can remember, that would be a very large part of the story to take out and would make no sense to do so(unless they want to keep themselves from adding on again and again)

  47. I'm not so sure about this... by Arcaeris · · Score: 2, Funny

    Personally, I think I'll pass on this mini-series. I didn't like Dune Messiah or Children of Dune nearly as much as Dune.

    They just didn't have the same "spice" as the original.

  48. Re:Exactly. by ckaminski · · Score: 1

    As much as I loved how the miniseries plot was a bit more involved and true to Herberts vision than the Lynch production, I REALLY loved the cinematography and the "inner dialog" that pervaded the whole movie. It gave it a quality I can't quite find the word for... ephemeral? It gave me the feeling that I was the character, thinking his thoughts, feeling his pain and wonder, versus having someone vocalize and explain something, like they did with the Miniseries.

  49. Interesting.... by ciphertext · · Score: 2, Insightful

    There was great hype about the SCI FI Channel's production of Frank Herbert's Dune when it was released. I remember a great portion of SCI Fiction oriented websites were debating the merits/demerits of both productions with regards to Herbert's own literary work. I find it only natural that the debate would continue about the next production. Oddly enough, I find the Dune series (literary works) intriguing. Very rarely do you find the creation of such works so very rich with detail. So complete is the marriage of ecology, religion, political intrigue, and human nature into the fabric of the Dune series that there is virtually no gap in the story. The underpinnings and background of the Dune universe leave no question of "how", "why", or "who" in the story. I plan to reserve my comments on whether the new SCI FI mini-series will be good or bad until after I've seen the show. Besides, SCI FI could do much worse in picking a literary work to produce as a mini-series.

    Anybody read the prequels by Brian Herbert? Thoughts?

    --
    To know is to have knowledge....to understand is to be enlightened.
  50. Re:Linux? by xeeno · · Score: 1

    actually, navigators don't bend space, machines bend space. Navigators use their prescience to pick the right path through space, hence them being called navigators.

  51. Re:Yeah, that's fine. . . by WileyWiggins · · Score: 1

    I think there's some pretty poor compositing effects in Lynch's Dune, but IMHO, it's more than made up for by the costume and set design. The interiors of Castle Caladan I thought were particularly well done. I don't think that anyone would argue that the motion picture isn't without some pretty serious flaws, but I also think it's judged way too harshly by people who would rather see Buck Rogers. It was imaginative and it had spunk.

  52. Please, God, No More Sound Stages! by D'Arque+Bishop · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Like some people, I watched the David Lynch movie before I read the book. In fact, I read the book more or less concurrently with the showing of the miniseries. All in all, screenplay-wise, the miniseries was much more faithful to the book, and the casting was generally better. I really do want to like the miniseries more than the movie... however, I'm having difficulty.

    This may sound shallow, but what absolutely DESTROYED the miniseries for me were the desert scenes. I can understand that some scenes have to be done on sound stages. However, those backdrops couldn't have been more obvious if they had painted images of Tux the Penguin on them. I watched those scenes, and all I could see were those damned backdrops. I never felt I was watching characters on Arrakis. I was watching characters on a cheap Hollywood soundstage pretending to be Arrakis.

    I remember reading somewhere that they intentionally did that, to make it seem more unreal. Well, guess what, guys? It didn't just look unreal, it looked FAKE. I'll watch Children of Dune, but I seriously hope they learned from their past mistakes.

    Just my $.02...

    1. Re:Please, God, No More Sound Stages! by Galvatron · · Score: 1

      I couldn't agree more. The only thing I found fatally flawed about the miniseries were those scenes where the Fremen burst out of the sand. What exactly was the rationale here? That they'd been hiding under the sand for hours, waiting for the enemy to happen to blunder by them? One of my favorite bits in the David Lynch movie was the massive desert war. Even if the rest of the movie is pretty crappy, that at least looks pretty cool.

      --
      "The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than that of whether a submarine can swim" -EWD
    2. Re:Please, God, No More Sound Stages! by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      well.. i didnt notice anything like that.

      but i did look it afterhours from dvd during holiday trip to spain on 14" screen whilst consuming a bottle of vodka.

      they didn't bother me too much.. hadn't actually thought that much of them before watching the making of, kind of assumed they were just flimsy cg gfx.

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
  53. it is also common in reality, in royalty by sirshannon · · Score: 1

    for example, the king of pop has 2 sons named Prince. George Forman has several sons named George. I think (but am FAR from certain) that Prince and his wife named their second child after their first one, who died before or very soon after birth. If I am wrong about that last one, all apologies, I am not in a position to research it at this moment.

  54. Re:I wouldn't if I were... by lugonn · · Score: 1
    I didn't really like the whole Messiah story of the first

    Then your really going to dislike the rest of the books. I only got through the first 3 books. At the end of the 3rd Pauls son, Leto, becomes a god-worm...no shit. Then from what I understand, he rules the known universe for 10,000 years and then destroys mankinds space-farring ability...and dies. It's all about Messiahs. Hell, the second book is called "Dune Messiah".

    Do yourself a favor and go find a book called "The Many Colored Land" by Julian May. It's 1 of 9...Easier reading than Herbert, but not lacking in the details. It's like Lord of the Rings meets Dune meets Star Wars, only better.

  55. Re:I'll use small, easily understood words by TheRaven64 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    You probably like ... Anne McCaffrey novels.
    Actually, I do. They're entertaining. I would not even dream of putting them in the same category as Dune though. I have read Dune and Children of Dune about 20 times (the others in the series less so). I can't off hand think of any other book I've read more than three or four times, they really are outstanding. On the other hand I can't even bring myself to read the Prelude series a second time, and the Butlerian Jihad has convinced me I can spare myself additional pain by not buying any more of them. They have Kevin J. Anderson's trademark style:

    1. Set the scene
    2. Go on about the scene a bit more
    3. Add some gratuitous action which moves the characters a lot without actually moving the plot anywhere
    4. Get bored and fill in the end with meaningless drivel

    The only one of his books I would consider recommending is Blindfold (which steals most of it's best parts from Dune).

    The Butlerian Jihad is really not worth the paper it's printed on. It's second rate space opera, nothing more, where the original books were a rich tapestry of conflicting emotional, personal, religious and ploitical agendas all woven together into a cohesive whole. If you couldn't follow the plot then I suggest you stick to books with big text, adn brightly coloured pictures. If you want space opera, I'd recommend E. E. 'Doc' Smith's books, but don't expect great literature.

    --
    I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  56. Children of Dune by Leeto2 · · Score: 1

    If only someone could combine the Sci-Fi channel's adaptation with the Lynch movie's special effects and costuming. Ya gotta admit those pannels behind everyone's head were a bit much, and the S.T.T.O.G. sets were just lame. (Exepected one of the foam rocks to fall over at any second.) But the adaptation from the book was MUCH more faithful than the Lynch film.

    As far as the books themselves go, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune were not Herber's best works, mereley prequels to his next great accomplishment, God Emperor Dune.
    God Emperor would rock as a movie. (If done correctly.)


    --



    "That's no moon"... Obi-Wan Kenobi
  57. What about Amber? by lukegalea1234 · · Score: 1

    When this was first announced, it was said that Zelazny's Amber Chronicles were to be made into a series as well.. Does anyone have any more information on that?

  58. wrong expectations by Xtifr · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Geeze, we're talking about a low-budget production by a basic-cable channel. If you were expecting a special-effects extravaganza, then you were obviously going in with a complete lack of clue. Hell, I was impressed by the mere fact that they tried to show sandworms! :)

    What I was hoping for (and what I got) from the SciFi Channel version was focus on the story. The Lynch version was incoherent and confusing, and all the fancy FX merely distracted from and obscured what little bits of the story he had left in. If I want fancy FX, I'll go watch the latest Lucas potboiler. But in general, I'd rather have unconvincing backdrops and a good script than the most realistic computer-generated Jar-Jar. :)

    1. Re:wrong expectations by D'Arque+Bishop · · Score: 1
      Geeze, we're talking about a low-budget production by a basic-cable channel. If you were expecting a special-effects extravaganza, then you were obviously going in with a complete lack of clue.

      I wasn't expecting a special effects extravaganza. I know better than to expect LotR or Star Wars quality effects out of Sci-Fi. ;) What I DO expect is for them to look like they're making half an effort. Ultra-obvious backdrops does not tell me they're making half an effort. :p
      If I want fancy FX, I'll go watch the latest Lucas potboiler. But in general, I'd rather have unconvincing backdrops and a good script than the most realistic computer-generated Jar-Jar. :)

      I agree, the special effects are secondary to the story. Story-wise, I like the Dune miniseries more than Episode I. I did say that I really wanted to like this one a lot. But the cheap obvious backdrops made it very difficult, because it's distracting and makes it look like they didn't give a damn about the quality of that aspect of it. (This is why I could never watch that Romeo & Juliet with DiCaprio and Danes; it's too damn jarring seeing it take place in modern times. The setting/environment of a story is important, after all.)

      Just my $.02...
  59. Too many errors in the miniseries... by Viewsonic · · Score: 1

    Even compared to Lynches version, the Miniseries did a while hell of a lot more wrong. The guild ships MOVED? Sorry, they just move through TIME, they dont create warps and fly into them. They are always stationary. They are also HOLLOW, not wide open. Guild Navigators were also horribly incorrect, Lynch was spot on from the novels. It's been a while since i've seen the Miniseries, but I remember nearly every character had a fatal flaw (Outside of the terrible acting) that ruined the series because the screenwriter forgot to actually read the damn novel.

    1. Re:Too many errors in the miniseries... by corsetboy · · Score: 1

      from the books, it's not entirely clear how the guild ships moved. but i always got the idea they do move physically, but they require the navigators to 'see' into the future to avoid collisions when travelling fast.

  60. Re:BWAHAHAHAAHAHAA +3 Funny by coolmacdude · · Score: 1

    SciFi already has some spice, Lexx.

    --

    -You may license this sig for only $6.99.
  61. oh come on.... by Xtifr · · Score: 1

    Farscape wasn't that bad! :)

  62. Re:Costumes? by lugonn · · Score: 1
    Everything from costume design to editing blows away David Lynch's way overdone, tacky style

    The costumes were the worst part about the series. The still suits were cloth! Like that'd stand up in a sand storm...as if!

    The second worst was that the Sietch walls were natural instead of carved. The book made it quite clear that the Sietch's were carved out of living rock. At least Lynch got those aspects right.

    All Lynch did was change 3 things; Spice makes you fold space instead of seeing into the future, the Weirding Way was a force instead of a teaching, and Ornithopters don't have flappy wings.

  63. Re:No way! by cyteen02 · · Score: 1
    The phrase "The series was completely emotionless" seems to hit it on the head for me - I'm sure the series was made by some very nice and earnest people but it felt like a toned down version. Little of the passion of the books. My assumption is that the money for a mini-series is very tight, and this needed most for the special effects, so quality rehersal time went out the window.

    I also had the misfortune of watching the 'TV version' of the Lynch movie OMG There was one part when a baddy spaceship flies over a goody city and there are a number of large explosions as a result. In the original movie this is a tragic moment - on the TV version it was assumed the connection between the spacecraft and the explosions was rather complicated for the average viewer to deduce, so a badly done voiceover of "release the bombs, release the bombs" was required. *sigh*

  64. Farscape? by Str8Dog · · Score: 1

    I can't help but wonder if Farscape's budget went to fund this. If it is anything like Taken, they made the wrong choice. Be prepared to see this on SFC at least 4 times a month for the next 3 years if not longer.

    --


    Str8Dog
    using System.Darkside; public
  65. Re:No way! by Alex+Thorpe · · Score: 1

    " I was so disappointed with William Hurt's performance. He was so cardboard."

    What do you expect, it's William Hurt! ;-)

    I did perfer all the villians in the miniseries to the first movie. They're evil, therefore they're ugly and mostly stupid. Not good.

    --
    "Common Sense Ain't" -Unknown
  66. I liked the Dune by nullhero · · Score: 1

    Mainly because it went into more detail about the houses. Lynch made a very pretty Dune and stylish but I didn't get the sense of the politics of what man was capable of or rather incapable of. After thousands of years man is still being controlled from a few rather than from the many we've become pawns in political infighting and religion still controls are destiny.

    The miniseries brought this out whereas the movie was pretty but very little substance. I'd take substance over beauty everyday!

    I can't wait for the next miniseries.

    --
    Save Pangaea!! Stop Continental Drift!!
  67. Fremen by Nick+Fury · · Score: 1

    I just finished reading Children of Dune and if the mini series can get Leto in his sand trout stil suit correct then it will be worth it. So far my only problem is that they consolidated the second two books. Bastards.

  68. Re:Costumes? by emil_nikolov · · Score: 1

    No sure what is you point about the still suits - were they supposed to be made out of high-tech microfiber with nanoprobes? I wonder how does arabs survived centuries in Sahara with cloth. These are fremen - extremely low tech. Anyway nothing can stand up in sand storm even fremen find shelter.

    There were numerous carving in the sietch - gods and stuff. Posssible example here
    http://www.scifi.com/dune/images/desktop4.jp g

    I did not attack Lynch's changes but rather his tacky even kitschy style. I find the visuals of his version of Dune fugly. It is like comparing Apple Aqua to RedHat 5.0 ;-)

  69. Um, When Is It by ArchAlchemist · · Score: 1

    Well, I have heard about this for some time, but I never manage to be watching sci-fi when they have the ad for this on, so I have no idea when it is. Anyone actually bother to find out so that they can enlighten me?

  70. Hope it succeeds.... I want more.... by vistic · · Score: 1

    I really hope this sequel does well enough that they can justify continuing the miniseries further.

    My favorite Dune books are Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse: Dune. The thought of seeing them really makes me very, very thrilled.

  71. Re:I'll use small, easily understood words by Efreet · · Score: 1

    There is one series that I think makes a wonderful companion to Dune, exploring some similar issues with equal depth. Kaze no Tani no Nausicaa (Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind) by Hayao Miyazaki (the Princess Mononoke guy) is one of the best works of science fiction I've ever read, and is debatably the best Manga ever written.

    --
    This sig wasn't worth reading, was it.
  72. And don't forget... by fellini8.5 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Dude, Where's my Sandworm?!

    --
    Kineska: Cinema, soapbox, music & musings
  73. Read Dune and skip ahead to God Emperor by toddhisattva · · Score: 1
    If you are a very impatient reader, follow the Good Critic's advice and just read Dune. It is really the only "must read" of the series. If you are a somewhat impatient reader, read Dune and skip ahead to God Emperor.

    Messiah and Children are the weak middle and I'm glad Sci-Fi Channel is combining them to pick up the pace. God Emperor is just a big bunch of fun starring the best blowhard since Jubal Harshaw. Heretics and Chapterhouse are likewise enjoyable and even at times profound.

    So you, dear reader, can calibrate for my biases, let me expose myself. For me, a good sequel is one which adds depth to the first book (so I'm the kind of person who considers The Silmarillion to be important, but not exactly coherent enough to be "a book"). I don't expect to have the same kind of experience as when reading the original. I pretty much expect "weak middles" maybe I shouldn't be so tolerant.

    The two Brian Herbert/Kevin Anderson books I read were worthless. Any real Dune-head can daydream better Dune stuff at will.

    Frank Herbert's last three books in the series are a good place to leave it. Yeah, so there are better books to read, but not many of them are sequels. If you're in a sequel/series mood, God Emperor, Heretics, and Chapterhouse are just fine.

  74. The mini-serie was pretty good IMHO. by Thanatiel · · Score: 1

    I only hope this series is better than the previous one

    Better is always good. (Wait, no ! What I'm saying ? 'Better' is the foe of 'good' ! Whatever ...)

    I liked the mini serie. I've read the whole books a few months ago, then watched Lynch's movie and didn't liked it at all. I think the mini-serie is more accurate (still with some twisted facts, but it didn't hurted me as much as the "LoTR" interpretation.)

    --
    Irrelevant news and morons using moderation to mod down what they disagree on. 2018 resolution: so long.
  75. Re:worm hide by lugonn · · Score: 1
    The still suits were made from worm hide, not cloth. The Sahara is NOT Arakas, and the arabs are not fremen. And I forgot to mention the Crysknives were made of worm teeth in the books and Lynch's movie, in the series they were metal. Just about everything the fremen had was made from either worms or spice in the books...very low tech.

    I think Lynch got a lot closer to breaking paradigms in his production design and it was more elegant...very original I thought. Probably reflects budgets. It's a matter of taste I guess. I liked the book, Lynch's movie, and the series all about the same. Each one had something a little different to bring to the table.

  76. Prequels by Knacklappen · · Score: 1

    Anybody read the prequels by Brian Herbert? Thoughts?

    Yes, I've read them both, the "Prelude to Dune" trilogy as well as the first book of the "Legends of Dune" trilogy.
    Well, the "Prelude..." was really intersting, but slightly less dense and exciting as the original work. But it was a really good read nevertheless.
    The "Legend..." trilogy however is a completely different story. Judging from the first book and the outlook to the remaining two, the idea seems to be to introduce everything that exists in Frank Herberts universe, really everything. It seems strange to me that in all those tenthousands of years, nothing happens and suddently the Suk doctors and the Bene Gesserit and the Mentats and every other freak club^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H guild just pops into existence. And everything and everybody is connected by a very limited group of places and characters, with the authors having such a rush...
    So no, I don't want to see the "Prelude..."/"Legend..." works to be used for film or TV mini-series/episodes whatever. I wish Brian Herbert and Kevein J Anderson had stopped after completing the "Prelude" trilogy.

    --


    Excellence: Moderate (mostly affected by comments on your karma)